When you bake goods that call for white sugar and would like to substitute maple syrup for the white sugar, you must adjust the amount of liquid and the oven temperature to which the baked good is baked. Because maple syrup contain more water than white sugar, you must reduce the amount of liquid in your baked good recipe to compensate for the water content in the maple syrup. Use three quarters of a cup of maple syrup for every one cup of white sugar that are listed in your recipe.
Additionally, subtract three tablespoons of liquid for every cup of white sugar that you are replacing with maple syrup. If you dont compensate for the liquid that must be removed, the baked good will be to thin for structure. Maple syrup also affect the browning of the baked good due to the way that the sugars in maple syrup caramelize at a faster rate than sugars in white sugar.
How to Bake with Maple Syrup Instead of White Sugar
Because of the faster rate of browning of maple syrup, you must also adjust the oven temperature to which the baked good is baked. Reduce the oven temperature by twenty-five degrees to prevent the outside of the baked good from cooking too quick and the inside of the baked good from not being cooked enough. By baking the baked good at this reduced temperature, the exterior will not burn while the interior cook to the desired doneness.
The acidity of maple syrup is another element that must be account for in your baking recipe. Maple syrup have a pH of approximately five, which is acidic. This acidity will react with the baking soda in your baked good recipe that provides the baked good with it’s structure, thus reducing the effectiveness of the baking soda.
To neutralize the acidity of the maple syrup, add a quarter teaspoon of baking soda for every cup of maple syrup that is use in the recipe. By using this amount of baking soda, the crumb of the baked good will remain open and not develop a gummy texture. The flavor of the baked good that is baked with maple syrup will change based off the type of maple syrup that is use in the recipe.
Lightly flavored golden maple syrup is often use in delicate cakes. Dark maple syrup has a deeper flavor and is used in gingerbread and spice cakes. It is important to choose a type of maple syrup with flavor that balance with the other flavors in the baked good recipe.
Pure maple syrup contains minerals like manganese, zinc, and calcium, but imitation pancake syrups does not contain these minerals. Additionally, because imitation pancake syrup use corn syrup and artificial flavoring instead of true maple syrup, it will behave differently than pure maple syrup when baked. Use imitation syrup if you wish to avoid the trace minerals in your baked goods.
There are several ways to store pure maple syrup. An unopened bottle of maple syrup can be stored at room temperature in a cupboard for many years. Once you open the bottle of pure maple syrup, store the syrup at room temperature in a cool cupboard for up to one year.
Additionally, you can freeze pure maple syrup in small container; the high sugar content of the syrup prevent it from freezing into a solid block of syrup. Common mistake in baking with maple syrup include not adjusting the amount of liquid and not adjusting the oven temperature. Remember to adjust the amount of liquid that is used in the baked good recipe, since maple syrup contain water.
Additionally, remember to reduce the oven temperature of the baked good because maple syrup brown at a faster rate than white sugar. By making these adjustment to the recipe, maple syrup will be a successful ingredient in your baked goods.